The Month of Giving

To honor George Harrison’s legacy and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking Concert for Bangladesh, the music community came together yet again for the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF’s ‘Month of Giving’, which took place during the month of August 2011.

Leveraging social media and the support of the entertainment industry, UNICEF urged a whole new generation of compassionate music lovers to bring much needed attention to a devastating crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Over 70 legendary and contemporary musicians (see below)lent their voice to the cause. The artist Shepard Fairey created a limited-edition art print to benefit the effort. And millions of music fans and UNICEF supporters spread the word through their social networks. This helped UNICEF’s Month of Giving raise over USD $1.225 million for the Horn of Africa.

How can you help?

Where the funds go – crisis in the Horn of Africa

Forty years after UNICEF responded to a humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh, a similar emergency is unfolding in the Horn of Africa.

Famine is taking its toll in Somalia, forcing thousands of families to seek food, water and shelter across the border in Kenya and Ethiopia, where drought conditions are already having an impact.

UNICEF is on the ground delivering lifesaving supplies, setting up feeding centers, and providing hundreds of thousands of children with clean water and vaccinations against deadly disease. But this humanitarian crisis is enormous. Two million children are acutely malnourished and one – third of them will die without urgent assistance.

What is happening in Africa is more than a food crisis. Violence and unrest in Somalia have exacerbated the refugee crisis and hindered humanitarian assistance to those most in need.

UNICEF is there. UNICEF has been operating across Somalia since 1971 and has never stopped working in the South where the volatility is worst.

UNICEF has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s programs to provide lifesaving assistance to children caught in humanitarian crises around the world.

You can help. Text “FRIEND” to 864233 to donate $10 and feed a child for 10 days

$40 can provide a mobile scale to monitor children’s weight. $80 can provide 1,000 sachets of Oral Rehydration Salts to help children combat dehydration.

Honour George’s legacy and the inspiration for the Concert for Bangladesh by asking your friends for help:

On Facebook, change your status to:
August is the Month of Giving for UNICEFUSA in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Concert for Bangladesh. All month long we can honor George Harrison and help the children suffering from famine in Horn of Africa. Please donate and get involved and together we’ll save lives! http://bit.ly/4-a-friend

On Twitter:
Food is not enough, Africa’s kids need support that UNICEFUSA provides, learn more & honor GeorgeHarrison http://bit.ly/4-a-friend
#4afriend